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It’s all happening! “The Vampire Diaries” Episode 420 began filming on Tuesday, March 5 — and this isn’t just any old episode. It will serve as a backdoor pilot for “The Originals,” the spinoff in consideration for The CW’s Fall 2013 season.

Director Chris Grismer, who is “The Vampire Diaries'” supervising producer and has directed fan favorite episodes like “The End of the Affair” and “Before Sunset,” will serve as director for the pilot. Grismer shared this behind-the-scenes pic of the cast at work in Atlanta on Tuesday, writing, “The beautiful cast of #theoriginals wait for the next shot.”

Visible are series stars Phoebe Tonkin, Daniel Gillies, Joseph Morgan, and Daniel Gillies’ Waistcoat… which is so awe-inspiring we’re assuming it gets its own billing. (Another pic of Gillies, also from Grismer, is below.)

The episode will see Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah travel to New Orleans, where Hayley has settled after betraying pretty much everyone in Mystic Falls. There, Klaus is reunited with his old vampire protege, Marcel. They’ll also come across witches Sophie and Davina, who are on the cusp of a supernatural revolution, and psych student Camille, who seeks answers about innate evil after a horrific family tragedy.